Gearing for washing-machines.



W. M. WOBBE 64 J. E. YOST. GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9.1915.

1,181,178. Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lw. M. WOBBE &1. E. Y OST. GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9.1915.

M M T 3n 2% N d 62 t H m a atfomu n q/Vi twcoom COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO., WASHINGTON. D. c.

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WILLIAM M. WOBBE AND JOSEPH E. YOSI, 0F SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO WILLIAM HOPE, OF SPRING-FIELD, OHIO.

GEARpI NG' FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

Application filed June 9, 1915. Serial No. 33,059.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM M. Woman and Josnrrr E. Yos'r, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gearing for Washing-Machines, of which, the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in operating mechanism for washing machines, although the use of the mechanism is not necessarily confined to such mach nes, but may be also applied to other devices of that character such for instance as churns. The mechanism is of such character as to impart an alternating rotary motion to cer-' tain parts of the machine, such as the agitator of a washing machine, and also for continuously rotating certain other parts such as fly-wheel.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a construction whereby thesimultane'ous occurrence of dead points in the operating mechanism is prevented A further object of the invention 1s to provide an operating mechanism in which strains tending to cause a binding of the gears is eliminated, permitting said gears to maintain their true relation to each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide for supporting the flywheel in such a manner as to eliminate the weight thereof from the rest of the operating mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism by which increased power can be secured and also one which will. be simple in construction, easily assembled and effective in operation.

In the accompanying drawings :F1gure l is a top plan view of a device embodying our improvements. Fig; 2 a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 38 of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the fly-wheel and its support and also of the bearing for the upper portion of the agitator shaft. Fig. 5 is a detail in section of the pivotal connection between the segment and slotted head. Fig. 6 is a detail in section of the connection between the main operating lever and the connecting link. 7

Like parts are represented by similar characters of reference in the several views.

In the said drawings, 1 represents the upper portion of a tub of a washing machine and 2 the hinged lid thereof. Secured to the upper side of the lid is a casting 3 which forms a support for the operating mechanism. The casting has a bearing 1 formed integrally therewith which projects down through an aperture in the lid 2 and in which is journaled the upper end of the agitator shaft 5, the 6X- treme upper end of the shaft being journaled in a removable casting 6, which is bolted or otherwise secured to the main casting 3 to facilitate assembling of the parts. To the upper end of the shaft 5 between the castings 3 and 6 is secured a segment of a pinion 7 to which power is applied to impart an'alternating rotary'movement to the shaft 5 in the manner now to be described.

Pivotally connected to a downwardlyextending arm 8 integrally formed with the main casting 3 is an operating lever 9 of any suitable construction. Pivoted to an upwardly extending pin 10, secured to the support 3, is a gear segment 11 meshing with the pinion segment 7. Pivotally connected to the outer end of an arm 12 on the segment 11 is a head 18 having an elongated slotted portion 1 1. The head 13 is bifurcated and pivotally connected to the bifurcated portion thereof by a bolt 15 is a link V1, the opposite end of said link being provided with a divided socket 17 to receive a ball 18 projecting from the lever 9 so as to form a ball and socket joint between the link and lever to permit said link to have a free movement relative to the lever.

Journaled on a pin 19 projecting downwardly from the frame 3 is a gear 20 which has a downwardly projecting eccentric pin 21 which extends into the slotted portion 1 1 of the head'18; said pin preferably having a friction roller 22 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3). The gear 20 meshes with the pinion 23 secured to a fly-wheel 24:; the pinion and wheel being journaled upon an upwardly projecting stud 25 which is threaded in the support 6; an anti-friction ball 27 being inserted between the upper end of the stud 25 and the hub of the flywheel so as to support the fly-wheel and pinion in a way which will relieve any of the other Working parts from the weight thereof. A portion of the supporting cast ing3 projects over the teeth of the pinion 23 so as to prevent displacement of the parts.

-The result ofthis construction is that, as the operating handle is manipulated, an alternating rotary movement will be 1m- .oarted to the a itator throu h themedium movement to the fly-wheel.

It will be understood thatthe point where the segment changes direction is the place where the greatest work is brought upon the operating mechanism, and it is, therefore, highly desirable that at this point there shall be no dead centers in that part of the mechanism which operates the fly-wheel so that the flywheel may be efiective in carrying the agitator operating mechanism past the reversing point thereof. One of the chief advantages of this invention lies in that arrangement of parts which enables'this to.

be accomplished. This is illustrated in Fig.

3 in which the gear segment has reached the limit of its movement in one direction and is about to start on its returnmovement and in Which it will be seen that the Wrist pin 21 is at one side of the dead center line, which would be a linebetween the point of application of the power (2'. 6., the pivotal connection between the link 16 and the operating lever) and the center of the gear 20, as indicated by the line So soon as the gear segment has reached the limit of its return movement as indicated in dotted lines, the wrist pin will also assume the position shown in dotted lines from which it will'be seen that it is at substantially the same-distance on the opposite side of the dead center line This is accomplished by so arranging the parts relatively each otherthat the effective part of the slotted 'head will move in the arc of a circle and cross the dead center line at an intermediate I the respective which it is pivotally connected and be farthest removed from the dead center line .at

limits of travel of said segment. 1

By reason of the pivotal connection between the head 13 and the gear segment and the confinement of the link 16 in the bifurcated portion of the head 13, it will be seen that thehead 13 will be kept in the same relation with the link 16 so as to always secure the direct thrust of said link; whatever relative change of position that takes place between the link and operating lever 9, by reason of the fact that the head 13 must move in the are of a circle, being'compensated for by the ball and socket connection between the link and operating lever.

It will also be noticed that the end of the arm 12 at the point where it is pivoted to the head 13 is formed in the nature of a comparatively large bearing 28 journaled on a stud 29 of good size projecting from the head 13, a cap 30 having a screwthreaded stem threaded in the boss serving to hold the parts against displacement. This pivotal connectionserves to hold the head in proper relation with the gear segment so as to prevent any wabbling of the head and thus maintains the slotted portion thereof in proper relation with the crank pin and eliminates any strain upon the gearing which would tend to cause the gears to bind.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. In a device of the character described, an oscillatory member, a continuous rotary member, and reversible operating devices operatively connected with each of said members, said operating devices and said rotatable member having an eccentric pin and a slot coiiperating therewith to form a driving connection, the parts being so arranged that when said operating devices have reached the limit of their movement in one direction said pin will be off of the dead center line.

2. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, a continuous rotary part, a pinion connected with said oscillatory part, a gear segment meshing with said pinion, a slotted head pivotally connected with said gear segment, an eccentrio pin on said rotatable part extending into the slot of said head, a source of power, and a link Vpivotally connecting same with said head, the parts being so arranged that as said gear segment reaches the limit of its oscillatory movement in either direction, the effective point of the slot and said pin will be at one side of the dead center line.

3. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, a pinion connected with said part, a gear segment meshing with said pinion, an extension projecting from said segment, a slotted head pivotally connected with the outer end of said extension, a source of power, a link pivotally connecting same with said slotted head, a rotatable gear, a fly-wheel driven thereby, an eccentric pin projecting from said gear into said slotted head, said parts being so arranged relative to each other that as said segment reaches the limit of its movement in either direction the effective point of said head and said pin will be off of a line extending from the source of power through the center of said gear.

4. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, a pinion connected therewith, a gear segment meshing with said pinion, a head having a slot pivotally connected with said segment, a rotatable part, an eccentric pin on said rotatable part extending into said slot, and means for operating said head.

5. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, a pinion connected therewith, a gear segment meshing with said pinion, a head having a slot pivotally connected with said segment, a rotatable gear, a fly-wheel operatively connected with said gear, an eccentric pin on said gear extending into said slot, and means for operating said head.

6. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, a pinion connected therewith, a gear segment meshing with said pinion, a head having a slot pivotally connected with said segment, a rotatable part, an eccentric pin on said rotatable part extending intosaid slot, an operating lever, and a link pivotally connected with said lever and head.

7. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, a pinion connected therewith, a gear segment meshing with said pinion, a head having a slot piv otally connected with said segment, a rotatable gear, a fly-wheel having an operative connection with said gear, an eccentric pin on said gear extending into said slot, an operating lever, and a link pivotally connecting said head and lever.

8. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, a fly-wheel, op erating mechanism imparting an alternating rotary movement to said oscillatory part and a continuous rotary movement to said fly-wheel, a stationary vertically extending stud upon which said fly-wheel is mounted, and an anti-friction ball between the upper end of said stud and the hub of said wheel.

9. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, mechanism for imparting to said oscillatory part an alternating rotary movement consisting in part of a pivoted segment and a slotted head pivotally connected with said segment, a rotatable eccentric pin extending into the slotted part of said head, and means for applying power to said head.

10. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, mechanism for imparting to said oscillatory part an alternating rotary movement consisting in part ofa pivoted segment having an extension,

a slotted head pivotally connected to said extension, an eccentric rotatable pin extending into the slotted part of said head, and means for applying power to said head.

11. In a machine of the character described, an oscillatory part, mechanism for imparting an alternating rotary movement to said oscillatory part consisting in part of a pivoted segment, an extension upon said segment, a slotted head pivotally connected with said extension, an eccentric rotatable pin extending into the slotted part of said head, said head having a bifurcated portion.

a link pivotally connected within the bifurcated portion of said head, a pivoted operating lever, and a universal connection between said link and lever.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 3rd day of June, 1915.

WILLIAM M. WOBBE. JOSEPH E. YOST.

Witnesses:

CHAS. I. WnLci-r, ALICE M. BENSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

